Wireless cellular communication networks are nearly ubiquitous, and provide mobile voice and data communications to millions of subscribers. In a cellular network, a fixed transceiver (base station, NodeB, etc.) provides two-way radio communications with a plurality of subscribers within a geographic area, or cell (as used herein, the term sector is synonymous with cell). Method of suppressing intra-cell radio interference, such as time-division, frequency-division, and code-division multiplexing, and combinations thereof, are known in the art. Additionally, methods of suppressing inter-cell interference, such as frequency reuse patterns, are known in the art. In modern wireless cellular communication networks, inter-cell interference remains the dominant source of performance impairment, restricting data rates, system capacity, and the quality of delivered communication services.
Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) transmission is a technology to minimize inter-cell interference. A plurality of geographically contiguous cells—referred to as sub-cells—are grouped together to form a CoMP cell. Each CoMP cell has a central controller that coordinates transmission within its constituent sub-cells so as to minimize inter-cell interference within the CoMP cell (referred to herein as inter-sub-cell interference, or intra-CoMP cell interference). The CoMP cell controller minimizes inter-sub-cell interference by coordinating scheduling of transmissions to user equipment (UE) within the cells, and/or actively suppressing interference using signal processing techniques.
Although the CoMP system can be effective in minimizing intra-CoMP cell interference, the inter-CoMP cell interference still exists along the joined areas between neighboring CoMP cells.